The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-07-23
,ould in the least interest you. Co.

be tickeled almost to death if could
participate in your sorrow. 1 have
no card with me. but / am connected
with the press and it would be better
to give the story to me and let me
get 1t in your exact language than to
have it garbled by the other papers,
Where do you reside p"
"1 reside at present in New York"
she said, gulping down sob three
sizes too large for her, land 1 am
utterly alone"
"Well, why don't you girls in New
York who are utterly alone have a
reunion this summer at the Polo
Grounds? 1 have not been in New
York very long, but since I've been
there 1t seems to me that you and
the other utterly lonely girls have
taken the town. What brought you
to New York. may ask ?"
81 came there to obtain employ.
ment, and it is all so strange and so
harsh and 80 heartless there" She
then took off her oilskin bonnet and
wept 1t almost full.
"What kind of work had you been
accustomed to ?"
"Well, I had not done anything,
but had good general education and
could take notes in shorthand if a
man would not talk too fast. 1 could
also soon learn to operate a type
writer, / think"
"You had read in the papers, then,
about the young women who came
10 New York and. after playing on
the typewriter for six months in the
Office of a wealthy widower, married
him ?"
"Yes. I had read that, but I did
not expect to do 80 myself"
II am glad you did not, for you
would have been disappointed. per-
haps. The opportunities for a young
woman to obtain situation in the
Office of middle-aged capitalist
whose wife is consumptive and try
ing to draw a hectic flush are getting
to be rare. and though they might
win the esteem of such one and lull
him to rest by knocking a few low,
throbbing notes of your typewriter,
yet I would advise you not to depend
on finding such situation as that"
"Then what would be your adj
vice ?"
"You say you never stenographed
very much 2"
mo. but l studied it at school and
can make all the characters after
think little while,"
"You think you could take down
in shorthand the address of a delib-
crate talker-his postoffico address, 1
mean ?"
20, now you are guying me. Of
course I cannot write shorthand very
fast. but I would be willing to learn"
"What salary would you expect
while learning ?''
10, 1 would not demand a large
salary at first, but I would try-O,
so hard-to learn rapidly"
"You never tried other work, did
you, such as plastering, plotting on a
steamboat. .dispatching. lion
tanning. surveying, butchering, piano
tuning. pugiIism. searching for the
North Pole, singing bass in min
strel company. catching elephants for
the trade, braking on a passenger
train, acting as foreman of jury,
breaking colts. dealing faro. grinding
scissors, jumping off the Brooklyn
bridge, selling lightning-rods. run
ming for sheriff, tending bar. rohbing
trains, numbering, chiropodizing, or
shoemaking?"
mo, sir; I couldn't do any of
those"
"Then. If I were you, l would 60
home. I would abandon New York
to its fate and return to my parents.
There you might teach school next
winter. perhaps. and do we'll.
"With your knowledge of stenog-
raphy you might successfully teach
it, no doubt, but you could not prac-
tice it. A business man who was in
hurry would hesitate about employ.
ing you if he thought YOU had to 60
to the bottom of your trunk for your
books every time you struck hard
word"
Happening to look down to the
pier at that instant, 1 saw that my
steamer was impatiently waiting for
me. and 80, bidding my unknown
friend adieu after telling her to be
careful not to breathe any of the
night air, which is so prevalent at
Coney Island this year, touched my
hat with a well-bred air that would
have fooled most any one, and was
soon lost to sight.
BILL NYE.